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HEED 2.0 is an endurance sports drink designed to provide steady energy and reliable hydration during training and racing. Unlike many commercial sports drinks that rely on refined sugars and citric acid, HEED uses complex carbohydrates and balanced electrolytes and natural flavours to support sustained performance.
- Best for: sessions under 3 hours
- Use for: steady energy + hydration support, subtle taste
- Good if: you want something with Carbs and electrolytes
- Start with: 1 sampler pack or endurance fuel kit
- Pair with: Bars / gel if going over 2 hours
This makes it an ideal sports drink for high intensity exercise cycling, where athletes need consistent energy without stomach discomfort or sugar crashes.
HEED is widely used by endurance athletes looking for a simple, easy-to-digest drink mix that supports hydration and steady energy throughout long workouts.
WHY HEED IS DIFFERENT FROM TYPICAL SPORTS DRINKS
Most sports drinks are built around simple sugars and acidic flavouring agents. While these products may provide quick energy, they can also lead to rapid blood sugar spikes, crashes, and digestive discomfort during long workouts.
Best Sports Drink for Cycling and Endurance Training
HEED is particularly popular among cyclists, runners and triathletes who require reliable hydration and sustained energy during long training sessions.
Benefits of HEED Sports Drink
• Provides steady energy from complex carbohydrates
• Supports hydration with balanced electrolytes
• Citric acid free formula
• No refined sugars
• Light taste that is easy to drink during long workouts
• Designed specifically for endurance athletes
How to Use HEED During Training
HEED is typically used during workouts lasting longer than one hour.
General guidelines:
Short training sessions (under 1 hour)
Water is usually sufficient.
Endurance sessions (1–2 hours)
Mix one scoop of HEED with water and sip consistently during exercise.
Long endurance training (2+ hours)
Use HEED regularly throughout the session and combine with additional electrolytes when necessary.
Individual needs may vary depending on body size, temperature and exercise intensity.
Why Athletes Choose Citric Acid Free Sports Drinks
Many sports drinks contain citric acid to enhance flavour and preservation. However, acidic drinks can cause stomach irritation for some athletes during long endurance sessions.
HEED is formulated without citric acid, making it a popular option for athletes who experience digestive discomfort when using traditional sports drinks.
This makes HEED particularly suitable for long rides, endurance runs and extended training sessions where digestive comfort is essential.
INGREDIENT BREAKDOWN
2.0 = TAPIOCA Maltodextrin – Less processed, NON-GMO, lower mono and disaccharide content/much higher percentage of polysaccharide content (courtesy of its lower Dextrose Equivalent), less sodium content, and even closer to the desired neutral pH.
Classic = Corn Maltodextrin – A high-glycemic index (GI) complex carbohydrate, ideal for providing fast-acting, long-lasting energy during exercise and for replenishing the body’s energy (glycogen) stores after exercise.
Xylitol – This natural sweetener is found in a variety of fibrous fruits and vegetables. It promotes oral health, as it does not ferment and support the acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay. NOTE: It is believed that xylitol is unsafe for consumption by dogs; therefore, we do not recommend you feed your dog any xylitol-containing products, including HEED or Recoverite.
Full-spectrum electrolyte profile – The complete profile of sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and potassium helps maintain performance of many important bodily functions during exercise, while also helping protect against muscle cramping.
L-Carnosine – One of the most versatile and beneficial nutrients available. It buffers lactic acid during exercise and offers antioxidant support.
Glycine – This amino acid is beneficial for aiding with muscle tissue repair, protecting collagen in joints, and reducing joint pain. Additionally, glycine has a naturally sweet taste, contributing to HEED’s delicious flavor.
L-Tyrosine – Aids in the functioning of the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands, which are responsible for the production and regulation of numerous key hormones. This contributes to increased performance levels and decreased recovery time.
Manganese – This trace mineral is necessary for optimal muscle cell enzyme reactions and for the conversion of fatty acids and protein into energy.
Chromemate® brand chromium polynicotinate – This trace mineral helps regulate blood sugar and plays a vital role in the synthesis of glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids.
FAQs
Can Perpetuem and Heed be used in a hydration pack's bladder?
Q: Can Perpetuem and HEED be used in a hydration pack's bladder without clogging it up?
A: While both products can be used in a hydration pack bladder, because Perpetuem is a bit thicker by nature--with its complex carbs, protein, and healthy fat--it has the greater potential to clog. HEED is just an all-carbohydrate fuel, no protein or fat, so it's easier mix in and consume from a hydration pack.
What is Taurine and what is its purpose in Cherry Bomb Heed?
Taurine is an amino acid found throughout the body, but especially in muscle and nerve tissue. Taurine assists in regulating heartbeat and muscle contractions, and levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. It is also essential for the proper use of electrolytic minerals—calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium—and ensures proper muscle function. Taurine also increases concentration and focus without stimulating the nervous system. Perhaps most important to athletes, taurine supplementation is correlated with increases in VO2 max and time to exhaustion due to its ability to buffer lactic acid and maintain healthy pH levels.
Is Heed safe for young athletes?
Q: Is HEED safe for young athletes to use during exercise and competitions?
A: HEED is not only 100% safe for young athletes, it's an undeniably a better choice than the plethora of sports drinks available, ones that contain loads of refined sugar and citric acid, as well as artificial sweeteners, flavors, and colors. HEED contains the complex carbohydrate maltodextrin (not refined sugars) and two natural sweeteners - xylitol and stevia - which are not only safe, but also beneficial to teeth and gums.
Why do you use Maltodextrin instead of sugar in your fuels?
Here are the benefits of maltodextrin, along with information about its effects on insulin during exercise and shortly after it’s been completed.
Does Heed contain any diary product, and is it gluten-free?
HEED contains no dairy and is 100% gluten-free.
Why did the sodium content increase in Heed?
Q: Why did the sodium content increase in HEED? Did you add more salt to the product?
A: The latest HEED formulation contains 150mg of sodium per serving instead of the original 60mg per serving. We believe that this amount, especially when combined with the balanced blend of the other electrolytic minerals in HEED, will serve more athletes under more conditions. We made sure not to overdo it on the sodium content, however, and 150mg per serving is still a much more reasonable amount as compared to most of the sports drink mixes currently available (including one that has an obscenely high 900mg of sodium per serving).
We did not add more salt (sodium chloride) to the product, but instead added a specific amount of sodium phosphate, a remarkable compound that, among its other benefits, has no peer when it comes to buffering excess acidity (which causes that burning sensation we all hate) while extending endurance by helping maintain optimal blood and muscle pH.
Why did you switch to a Tapioca-derived maltodextrin for heed 2.0?
Our carbohydrate-containing fuels used a corn-derived maltodextrin (complex carbohydrate), which was actually a very good maltodextrin. However, we found that tapioca (cassava root)-derived maltodextrin offers the following advantages over corn-derived maltodextrin, which is why we made the switch:
Key advantages of tapioca-derived maltodextrin
When would i use Heed or Perpetuem?
HEED is a “carbohydrate only” drink mix that is great for bouts of exercise up to 2–3 hours in duration.
Perpetuem is a “carb + protein + healthy fat” drink mix that is ideal for longer-duration workouts and races.
The inclusion of protein in Perpetuem helps to satisfy the 10–15% of energy that must come from protein/amino acids during long-duration exercise. Without this protein donation, the body is forced to cannibalise its lean muscle tissue to satisfy this small percentage of energy requirements.
That decreases exercise performance, due to the excess amount of fatigue-causing ammonia that is produced, and it will also cause recovery after exercise to be significantly longer because there is a greater percentage of broken down muscle tissue that needs repairing.
The healthy fat added to the Perpetuem formula gives the body a cue of sorts to let it know that it’s not depriving it of fat (the “you have to eat fat to burn fat” train of thought). As a result, the body releases its fatty acid stores more liberally so that the calories from them can be used to create energy more consistently and efficiently.
As you can see, Perpetuem is a very complete “meal in a bottle” fuel for endurance exercise.
Should i use Hammer Gel or Heed?
Either — it’s your preference.
Both products are ideal for use during exercise of any intensity lasting up to 2–3 hours.
HAMMER GEL
Hammer Gel is a concentrated complex carbohydrate gel with the consistency of syrup. It is the best choice for athletes who prefer drinking plain water for hydration.
Offered in 12 flavours:
Apple-Cinnamon, Banana, Chocolate, Espresso, Montana Huckleberry, Orange, Raspberry, Tropical, Vanilla, Nocciola (Hazelnut-Chocolate), Peanut Butter, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate.
Caffeine content:
Espresso contains 50mg, and Tropical contains 25mg of caffeine per serving.
HEED
HEED is a powdered sports drink mix. It is the best choice for athletes who do not like drinking plain water while exercising.
HEED comes in three flavours:
Cherry Bomb, Lemon-Lime, Orange.
Caffeine content:
Cherry Bomb contains 25mg of caffeine per serving.
Either product can be used as a partial source of calories during ultra-distance events to provide variety and flavour to your primary fuel sources, Perpetuem and/or Sustained Energy.
What’s the difference between Heed and Endurolytes or Endurolytes fizz?
Every scoop of HEED contains 110 calories and about the same amount of electrolytes as found in one Endurolytes capsule or approximately one-half tablet of Endurolytes Fizz.
Neither of these two electrolyte replenishment products is a calorie source.
Most athletes will fulfil all their calorie needs, as well as at least some of their electrolyte needs for an hour, with one to two scoops of HEED in a water bottle.
Heavier athletes and/or athletes competing in hot-weather conditions will oftentimes need additional electrolyte mineral support via additional Endurolytes capsules or Endurolytes Fizz tablets.
In simple terms:
- HEED = Calories + electrolytes
- Endurolytes / Endurolytes Fizz = Electrolytes only
How much Heed do I need per hour?
Q: I'm a 200-pound athlete, MTB and road cyclist. How much HEED do I need per hour?
A: Most athletes weighing around 200 pounds find that 1.5 to 1.75 scoops of HEED (165–192.5 calories) is an excellent amount on a per-hour basis.
Also, keep in mind that this will provide the equivalent of 1.5 to about 2 Endurolytes capsules.
Athletes in that weight range, and especially in warmer weather, usually need an additional 2–3 capsules of Endurolytes
(up to 4 additional capsules in really hot weather) to fulfil electrolyte mineral needs much more completely.
How do I determine the equivalent of one scoop of Heed?
No scoop? No problem. With the following conversion information, your “Where did my scoop go?” problems are resolved.
HEED 2.0
1 Level Scoop (39cc) = 2 tbsp + 1¾ tsp
(Serving Size: 1 Scoop)
HEED Classic
1 Level Scoop (60cc) = 4 tbsp + ½ tsp
(Serving Size: 1 Scoop)
Are there any concerns with pre-mixing Heed?
Q: Are there any concerns with pre-mixing HEED with water, say 24 hours in advance?
A: If you pre-mix a bottle of HEED and keep it refrigerated, it will not lose any of its potency or beneficial properties for 24–36 hours.
The taste will be somewhat flat, and a small amount of the electrolyte minerals and flavouring crystals may have separated and settled to the bottom. If this is the case, simply give the bottle a good shake prior to consumption.
I noticed that the flavour is very light
Q: I have been using HEED for about a month already, with great results and it’s an excellent product. I noticed that the flavour is very light for one scoop in a 24-ounce bottle. Is that normal? Is the light flavour due to the low sugar in the product?
A: The light flavour is by design.
When we were in the beginning stages of formulating HEED, the main complaint we heard from athletes was that all the other sports drinks currently available were too sweet, so that was one major thing we worked on.
We always use maltodextrin (complex carbs) in our fuels, and that starch-like carbohydrate is not very sweet to begin with. We wanted to give the product a bit of sweetness, but adding sugar or artificial sweeteners was not an option.
Instead, we opted to use a small amount of xylitol and stevia. Both of these sweeteners are undeniably better options than sugar or artificial ingredients. They are actually good for teeth and gums, and because they are both several times sweeter than sugar, only a small amount was needed.
The result is a sports drink that is not short on calories (110 per scoop), but comes without that unpleasant overly sweet and syrupy taste.
Q: What is Hammer Nutrition’s response to the recent headlines about xylitol and its supposed negative effects on cardiovascular health?
A: There have been a lot of headlines about xylitol lately. However, we find that they are overly sensationalistic and do not consider much of the actual study. These headlines are simply scare tactics and do not help people who are looking for reliable and legitimate information.
Our position
This study, like the erythritol study, shows only an association between xylitol and heart risk—and it is a very weak one. It does not show that xylitol caused or causes a higher incidence of heart attack, stroke, or death.
The information below, along with other variables not included in the study, would make the research more reliable. Dr. F. Perry Wilson said about the erythritol study (done by the same research team) that we should not look at the results in isolation. Even if erythritol increases risk, it is still replacing sugar, which likely has worse health effects.
Red flags and flaws in the Xylitol study
1. Xylitol is found in fruits and some vegetables and is naturally produced by the body. Calling it an artificial sweetener is incorrect.
2. The study measured naturally occurring xylitol in the blood of over 3,000 participants after fasting. People in the top 25% of xylitol levels had about double the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death over three years compared to those in the lowest 25%.
o This conclusion is based on just one blood sample.
3. The study looked at xylitol levels in the blood, not xylitol intake from diet.
o No dietary history was recorded before or during the 3-year follow-up.
o As Dr. Leonardo Sodre noted, the study did not evaluate xylitol consumption, only its presence in the blood.
4. Most participants (average age 64) were already very unhealthy. Many had:
o Obesity
o Diabetes
o Hypertension
o Cardiovascular disease
o Heart attack history
o Coronary heart disease
o Stenosis
o Heart failure
Many were also taking statins, which reduce cardiovascular risk but can increase coronary artery calcification—linked to higher cardiovascular risk.
5. This was an observational study, meaning it can only show an association, not cause and effect.
o It does not prove xylitol caused heart attack, stroke, or death.
o Observational studies are lower-quality evidence and are more prone to bias.
o Important factors like health status and diet were not properly considered.
Other useful products and electrolytes
Endurolytes Electrolyte Capsules
Hammer Gel Energy Gel
Perpetuem Endurance Fuel
Related Guides
- How to Fuel for an olympic distance triathlon here
- Electrolytes vs Sports Drinks where to start here
- Best Hydration for Marathon Training here
- endurance nutrition know your calories per hour here
- cycling hydration here
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